Description

Making Post-Cards For Quick Delivery. Part 2

784. Backgrounds

Backgrounds. The backgrounds should be suitable to the location of the gallery. A pier or beach scene for a seashore resort; a mountain or waterfall background for the mountains; a chute-the-chutes scene for an amusement park; and so on. It would be absurd to place your customers before a background of waves and beach if the gallery is situated in the mountains.

785. A line of comic backgrounds, to be placed in front of, and showing only the head of, the customer, with some absurd drawing for the body, are often profitable in a well-frequented resort.

786. Artificial Lighting

Artificial Lighting. As most of the business at such resorts is done in the evening, it is always well to have the gallery fitted with some source of strong artificial light. The new Tungsten incandescent bulbs are economical, and are capable of giving a very strong light for the amount of current consumed. The Aristo lamp, which has been fully described in Volume VI, is frequently used; also the Cooper-Hewitt tubes, which are more economical and give greater actinic light. A complete outfit of tube, rheostat, extra tubes, etc., will cost in the neighborhood of $50.00, acording to the length of tube employed.

787. Lighting And Exposure

Lighting And Exposure. The background and camera should be arranged to the light - daylight or artificial - to give as broad a lighting as possible. This gives the greatest roundness and smoothness to the face, which is important, as there is no time for, nor profit in, retouching the negatives. One should aim at over rather than underexposure.

788. Developing Of Plates

Developing Of Plates. Time saving being the most important feature it is necessary to employ a rapid developingagent. The following combination of metol and hydroquinon (ortol can be substituted for metol, using the same proportion) will develop the plate in from three to ten minutes. The speed of the bath can be changed by the addition of water. The more water added the slower the bath will develop.

790. The chemicals must be dissolved in the order named, and the solution stirred constantly while adding. This is a concentrated developer, and if put up in a demijohn will keep for several weeks. It will keep indefinitely if put up in bottles, filling the bottles to the cork, being careful that they are well stoppered. A cork stopper, dipped in hot wax is the best.

791. After your stock solution has been standing for several days, a slight precipitation may occur. This, however, will do no harm and perfectly clean negatives will be produced.

792. This developer can also be used for the developing of post-cards. For regular grade post-cards use one part of stock solution to two parts of water. For special, or cards that have soft printing qualities, dilute the developer about four parts - one part stock solution to four parts water. Keep the temperature of the solution about 65°, never under 60° or never over 70°.